Mercury Carlo

[Bluemalibu]

   For the last three months, my focus has had to be on completing the snowball of modifications and restoration of the Monte to be able to have it finished for the Western Meet.  But, even as things have been getting hectic in these final days, and I am squeezed down to just three weeks to complete six weeks worth of work that is left to do,   ...while working on 'Wax-on/wax-off' tasks, I've found myself planning out mods that I will attempt on my next project vehicle.   ...And have begun to set aside the parts to implement them.

 

 

   This next project was actually started nine years ago.  I purchased a body of a remarkedly rust-free '51 Merc Woodie that had had its top chopped and then health concerns prohibited its owner from doing more.  I purchased a '72 Monte Carlo with a damaged roof that had caught a falling limb, and parted it out;  taking the frame and cutting it just behind the firewall and then used 2x6 box beams welded in to just before the arch over the rear-end, to lengthen the frame four inches.  The Merc's wheel base is actually only 2" longer than our cars, but the added two inches fills out the wheel wells evenly.

 

 

   Long-story, short... the Merc was stolen at the same time as my '70 SS454.   After eight years, local law enforcement have given me hope that something of the woody may be recovered in the next six-eight weeks, as they've identified the thief and his fence.   So, hopefully I'll return from the Western Meet to begin another project in earnest.

[7tonemonte]

Wow, that's good news! Hope they get the low life that stole it!

[Bluemalibu]

   Thanks Tony...   I'm hoping that they do, indeed.

 

                                                                                      Doug

[72-CLASSIC_RIDE]

Looks like you have the luck of the Irish Doug! 

 

2 stolen, one recovered shortly after and a good possibility the other on its way home shortly.  That is a GREAT success story in itself.  Now if/when you get the Merc back, the thief(s) have at least half of you proposed work completed for you. :k

 

The other Doug.................  

[Jared Richey]

So you got your ss 454 back? I assume the one you are working on. Hope you get the mercury back too.

[Bluemalibu]

  LOL!!!  ...You read my mind Doug!  

 

     I was hoping that I might find that at least some of the restoration on the Woodie had been completed for me, if I had to be without the car for all of these years. 

 

     And, for all of my hatred of the mountains of regulations that we are forced to live within, in this, our Great State of Confusion, there is one section of the Calif Penal Code that may actually be of benefit... 

it addresses Vehicle Conversion.  As part of sentencing, the courts can order those convicted of buying and selling a stolen vehicle to reimburse the owners three times the value of the vehicle that was stolen from them.

 

And thanks for the encouragement Jared.   But there wasn't much left of the '70 when recovered. The interior was but bare rusted metal; even the dash and dash pad were gone. The interior was a swimming pool for two years.  The front end was bare to the firewall.  The numbers-matching engine that I had put $10k into, had been stripped to a bare block, and had sat in the rain for two years rusting it solid.  The variable-pitch TH400 was missing as well. All trim had been stripped and silver paint had been shot over the Seamist Green on the remaining body panels.
I accepted an offer of 10k for what remained of the SS and I've used the garage bay as a therapy couch, over the last 12 weeks... putting the '72 car together for the Western Meet.   ...And, with less than three weeks left, I need to get back out into the garage!

 

   Thanks again, guys.    Doug